Page 267 - DEDU501_DEVELOPMENT_OF_EDUCATION_SYSTEM_ENGLISH

Unit 27: Privatization of Higher Education

27.4.6 Access Notes
Economic barriers to higher education can be addressed, according to the Report, by scholarships
or cross-subsidies. The academic institutions would be able to “set a fee of their own choice
subject to the provision that there are at least two banks that are willing to finance the entire
cost of education at that institution, without any collateral other than the fact of admission.”
Since “commercial banks may be wary of funding economically deprived students, especially
in non-professional courses”, the NKC recommends “a well-funded and extensive national
scholarship scheme targeting economically underprivileged students and students from
historically socially disadvantaged groups, particularly students from rural and backward areas.”
Therefore, it called upon the government to “endeavour to make available about 100,000
scholarships for such students.”
The NKC further states that “reservations are essential but they are a part, and one form of,
affirmative action. Disparities in educational attainments are related to caste and social groups,
but are also strongly related to other indicators such as income, gender, region and place of
residence. Access to quality higher education is further limited for students from certain types
of schools.” Therefore, in view of persisting multi-dimensional problems of deprivation of
educational opportunities, the NKC suggests “a deprivation index” based on social background
covering caste (keeping in view regional variations), religion and gender, family education
history; family income, type of school, the medium of instruction, place of residence, physical
disability, that could provide weighted scores to students to “compete for admissions.” Thus,
the NKC proposes ‘deprivation index” rather than reservation as provided under the
Constitution.
The entire structure on higher education in India presented in the NKCs report to the Nation
2006 is elitist and will not benefit the vast majority of young people below the age of 25 years.
It will decrease the enrollment instead of raising it to 15 percent by 2015. Raising the student
fees to 20 percent of the recurring expenditure, financing pattern, private investment, salary
differential, regulation by IRAHE with enormous powers, bias against the disadvantaged section
of the society, autonomous colleges, elitist national universities based on commercialisation,
etc. are retrograde recommendations which will lead to privatisation and commercialisation of
higher education in India.
Self Assessment
3. Multiple choice questions: Choose the correct option
(i) Undergraduate colleges would constitute a part of the ........................ universities the
NKC proposes nation wide by 2015.
(a) 1100 (b) 100 (c) 1500 (d) 2000
(ii) The present support for higher education at ................... of GDP is simply not adequate.
(a) 0.5 (b) 0.7 (c) 0.9 (d) 0.4
(iii) In an ideal world government support for higher edcuation should be at least ..................
from a total of 6% of GDP for education.
(a) 1.5 (b) 2.5 (c) 2.7 (d) 3.5
(iv) The NKC recommends that public universities should use their land as a source of
finance and a norm fee should meet at least ............. of the total expenditure.
(a) 10% (b) 20% (c) 30% (d) 40%
(v) In order to increase the gross enrolment, the NKC recommends the creation of up to
........... national universities that can provide education of the highest standard.
(a)18 (b)40 (c)50 (d)60

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 261